


Kiss and Tell

by ProphetPrior



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Accidental Eavesdropping, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Peter Parker, Coming Out, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-02-16 09:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18688813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProphetPrior/pseuds/ProphetPrior
Summary: Geez, Tony thought. It was a good thing Peter was good at keeping secrets, because otherwise he would have been in big trouble.(He was, in fact, in big trouble.)





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place two years after Homecoming, in a beautiful world where Infinity War and Endgame are ignored. No Endgame spoilers. Peter and Ned are in their senior year of high school.

“Boss,” FRIDAY announced to the room, pulling Tony away from his current project. A new update to the StarkPad software was being released at the end of the week, and Tony was currently in the middle of running the last diagnostic tests.

“Not now, FRIDAY,” Tony replied, tapping on the screen of the StarkPad in his hands. “I’m almost done.”

“Karen has contacted me. It’s about Peter.”

That made Tony stop immediately and set the tablet on his desk. Two years ago, after the whole Vulture incident, Tony had enabled the AIs to communicate with each other. They only ever did when it involved Peter’s wellbeing. “What’s going on? Is he okay?”

“He’s currently in his Queens apartment, seemingly unharmed. However, she is concerned with his current heart rate and other vitals.”

Tony paused for a second. “Wait, he’s in his apartment?”

“In his bedroom, Boss. Just has his mask on.”

“Can you get the audio from Karen?”

“Already on it.”

Suddenly, the room was filled with heavy breathing. 

_“I just… I’m so confused,”_ Peter’s shaky voice filtered through the speakers. 

_“It’s okay to be confused, Peter,”_ Karen responded, her tone somehow even more soothing than normal. 

_“Like I want to tell him how I feel, but… I’m afraid it’ll ruin everything.”_

“FRIDAY, how long has Peter been talking to Karen like this? And pull up his vitals for me.” Tony’s heart sank. He’s not sure what Peter’s talking about, but he sounded so distraught.

“Approximately seven minutes,” she replied, the requested info appearing on his StarkPad.

Tony slumped back into his chair, reading the data. Peter’s resting heart rate was normally higher than the average teenager, but it was currently sitting at 150 beats per minute. Tony knew that it wasn’t really that high for the kid, but he also wasn’t currently swinging around buildings or fighting off a mugger. He was just in his apartment. 

“Where is he in his room? And is he alone?” 

“Peter is currently sitting on his bed,” FRIDAY replied. “He is alone.”

Tony opened his mouth to ask another question, but Peter sighed and began talking again.

_“Like what if I’ve been reading this whole thing wrong,”_ Peter said, _“and it does ruin everything?”_

_“Do you think you’re wrong, Peter?”_ Karen asked. _“I think you’re pretty smart.”_

_“I don’t know,”_ Peter replied, and it almost sounds like a whine.

Tony desperately needed to know what’s causing this dilemma, but he didn’t know how to probe without it being obvious that he was listening. 

_“I just don’t want to lose him,”_ Peter said, barely a whisper. 

Was Peter talking about him? Tony had thought he was working towards a better relationship with the teen. In the past two years, not only was Tony proud to say they had a triple-digit Snapchat streak, but they had worked up to Peter spending weekends at the compound at least once a month. 

_“Why do you think you’ll lose him?”_ Karen asked. 

It took a few deep breaths before Peter answered. _“I don’t want to weird him out if I’m wrong. Like how awful would it be if I made a move and he doesn’t actually like me like that?”_

Okay, wait. Tony’s mind whirled around, trying to put all of the new information together. Peter definitely wasn’t talking about him. He was talking about someone he liked. And that someone was also a guy. 

Okay. 

_“And I’m also not one-hundred percent sure that I’m gay?”_ Peter continued, his voice speeding up. _“Like I know bisexuality is a thing, but it’s all just so confusing.”_

There was a rustling sound in the background, like Peter was shifting on his bed. 

_“Have you talked to anyone else about this, like Mr. Stark?”_ Karen asked. 

_“No!”_ Peter said back, his heartbeat spiking on the screen. _“He doesn’t need to be bothered with this!”_

Au contraire, Tony thought. If only he knew who was currently listening to this conversation. Tony wondered if he should stop, but he wanted to make sure Peter was okay.

_“You know that sexuality isn’t a choice, Peter,”_ Karen said, her volume lowered. _“And I’m sure Mr. Stark will accept you however you choose to identify.”_

Tony smiled at that. He’s not sure if Karen specifically said that because she knew he was listening, but it was true all the same. First of all, it would be totally hypocritical if this was a reason to be frustrated with Peter. If he cared about linguistics and labels, he was most likely pansexual himself. But Tony didn’t care about either of those things, not for a long time. Certainly not since the Accords. Since Germany. 

And second, Tony couldn’t imagine his life without Peter. These past two years were an absolute treasure, and he wasn’t about to throw it all away because he found out his pseudo-son liked guys. 

_“Thanks, Karen,”_ Peter mumbled after a few moments. _“I guess I should just talk to him, huh?”_

_“Do you mean Mr. Stark or Ned?”_ Karen asked.

_“Ned,”_ Peter replied, his heartbeat spiking again.

_“I agree with your assessment, Peter. Sometimes it’s best to be honest, even if you’re unsure of the outcome.”_

_“You’re probably right,”_ Peter said, a soft laugh popping in the audio. _“Well, I should get some homework done before patrolling. This calculus won’t finish itself. Thanks again, Karen.”_

The audio cut out, meaning Peter tugged off the mask.

Tony set the tablet back down on his desk, but he didn’t move. His mind was still trying to formulate all of the data he just got.

So Peter had a crush on his best friend? Even Tony had to admit that was a rough spot to be in. The kid was in his senior year, and he had never really mentioned his crushes before -- well, not after falling for the Vulture’s daughter. Tony always thought that was his reason for shying away from romance talk.

He never even thought it could be because Peter wasn’t straight. And doesn’t that make Tony feel awful.

He rubbed his eyes with his hands, and let out a shaky breath. He knew rationally that he couldn’t do anything about this. Not at the moment anyway. Multiple parenting books he read -- and he’s not embarrassed to say that he’s read a few these past two years -- said he needed to let Peter come to him. It would betray his trust if Peter found out Tony was listening in on his private conversation with Karen. 

At the thought of said parenting books, Tony wondered something else. Had May ever given Peter the birds and the bees talk? Did she need to do it again, with revised material? Did May even know that her son liked guys?

Tony shook his head and glanced at the clock on his desk. He had about two hours before Pepper came home, and he really did need to finish running the diagnostics on the update. 

“Let the kid come out on his own terms,” Tony said aloud, even if it was to himself. “Let him come to you.”

He thought for a moment, before adding, “Oh, and FRIDAY? Tell Karen to ask if Peter needs assistance if his vitals spike at home _before_ contacting me, okay?”


	2. Part Two

Tony was prepping the lab for Peter’s arrival — which was really a great excuse to clean up all his dirty coffee mugs and garbage — when FRIDAY spoke.

“Boss, Happy is trying to call you.”

“Put him through,” Tony mumbled, spinning a mug around to look at the mold growing at the bottom.

“ _Tony,_ ” Happy’s voice rang out through the lab, “ _where’s the kid? He’s not at his apartment._ ” 

Tony froze. “What do you mean he’s not at his apartment?”

“ _He didn’t come down to the car, so I called him. No answer._ ”

Tony could hear the slight panic in Happy’s voice, and he didn’t blame him. Peter never forgot about lab weekends. In fact, he had expressed his excitement this past week on his nightly reports to Tony. Just last night, he had asked to start trials on the new web formula they had been working on.

So where the hell was his kid?

“FRIDAY, pull up Peter’s location,” Tony said, setting the moldy mug down. “And his audio and visual feed if his mask is on.”

“ _Should I go up and knock on the door?_ ” Happy asked. “ _Maybe he fell asleep?_ ”

“Just stay in the car, Hap. I’ll let you know when I find him.”

“ _Okay, I’ll stay put. It looks like it’s about to rain, anyways._ ”

As FRIDAY started locating the tracker and pulling up his mask’s A/V feed, Tony rubbed his temples. This wouldn’t even be happening if Peter had let Happy pick him up right from school. But no, Peter had protested, saying that he didn’t want to attract any attention. Tony had reluctantly agreed to let Peter take the train home (or his webs) and be picked up at his apartment at 5pm.

Well that wasn’t going to happen again, he scoffed. As soon as he found Peter, he was going to kill him for making the adults panic.

“Boss, Peter is currently six blocks from his apartment in Queens,” FRIDAY said, pulling Tony out of his thoughts. “Karen is giving me access to his mask now.”

A hologram of moving buildings appeared in the middle of the lab, along with the rush of audio that sounded like wind. Peter was swinging around, as if he wasn’t currently missing from his apartment.

Tony was about to have FRIDAY put him through to yell at him, but suddenly Peter landed on a roof. Why did he stop? 

The mask camera swiveled around, as if taking in his surroundings. It then moved closer to the edge of the roof, looking down at the alley below. A thunder rumble echoed from above.

“ _Pe-_ ” a voice whispered from off camera. “ _I mean, uh, Spider-Man? Are you here?_ ”

Peter’s breath hitched — and Tony was sure if he had Peter’s vitals on the screen, he would have seen his heart rate spike. The camera tipped over the side of the building, meaning Peter was crawling down the wall towards the other voice.

“ _Why did you want me to meet you outside?_ ” The voice asked, growing louder. “ _Why didn’t you just come to my window?_ ”

Though the camera angle was sideways, Tony could tell that a figure was rounding the corner and entering the alley.

Oh. It was Peter’s “guy in the chair.” Ned.

 _Oh._ Tony had almost forgotten that he didn’t know the outcome of Peter’s therapy session with Karen last week. Tony didn’t pry or ask any specific questions about Ned while chatting with Peter, but he did try to exude an overall aura of acceptance and unconditional love.

But God, he wanted to know if he had talked to Ned yet.

Peter continued down the wall, just as it started raining. It was disorienting as the camera fully tipped upside down, so it looked like the drops were rising instead of falling.

Ned’s face suddenly came into view, his eyebrows clearly bunched up in confusion.

“ _Peter,_ ” Ned whispered, so quietly as if he knew Peter could only hear it with his enhanced hearing. “ _Come on, it’s raining. What was so important that you had to tell me in person right now, even though we saw each other like two hours ago?”_

Peter only hummed in acknowledgment.

Ned reached his arms out, his hands disappearing at the bottom of the hologram. A wet fabric sound, like when taking off a bathing suit, echoed through the audio.

The mask feed didn’t cut out, like Tony had thought it would. That meant only the bottom half of the mask had been slid up past the teen’s nose.

“ _Ned_?” Peter breathed out. It really wasn’t a question, but it sure sounded like one. 

Ned leaned in, the rain streaks obscuring the boy’s upside-down nose and mouth.

“ _Yeah_ ,” Ned replied, like he knew what Peter was asking.

And then suddenly the distance between them closed.

“Turn it off,” Tony yelled, louder than necessary.

The hologram dissolved, and the audio only picked up a faint, yet painfully obvious sound before it cut out.

Tony leaned against his desk to stable himself. His kid was going to give him a heart attack.

“FRIDAY, have Karen remind him that Happy’s waiting. But don’t mention anything else.”

“Got it, Boss,” she replied, her accent making her amusement known. “Putting Happy back on the line now.”

Happy picked up immediately. “ _Where_ _is_ _he_? _Did_ _you_ _find_ _him_?”

Tony sighed, not really knowing what his life had come to. “I found him, Hap. He just… lost track of time. He’s on his way now.”

There was a pause, and then, “ _That_ _sounds_ _fake_ , _but_ _I’ll_ _accept_ _it_.”

Tony sat in silence for a moment, trying to simultaneously calm down and beam with pride. He hadn’t meant to watch Peter’s first kiss with Ned — and while Tony had interacted with the boy on multiple occasions, he suddenly had to suppress the urge to interrogate and threaten him.

So yeah, that was new. He would have to pick up some more books that specifically dealt with teen dating and relationships.  

But honestly? He would never tell anyone this — especially Peter — but he was secretly impressed. He had confessed his feelings for Ned with an upside-down, mask pushed up, goddamn kiss in the rain.

That was the most iconic and dramatic thing Tony had ever seen. 

But he still wanted to wash his eyeballs with bleach.

Let him come to you. _Let_ _him_ _come_ _to_ _you_. God, Tony was going to have to write it on a note and stick it to his bathroom mirror like some motivational soccer mom.


	3. Part Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than expected! I've been reading a lot of angst and hurt/comfort, so it was really hard to get the tone right. But, I extended the story and added a chapter! Part Four will be out on June 1st. Enjoy!

Tony looked across the lab table at Peter. He had been staring at the web shooter in his hand for the past five minutes, and it was driving Tony crazy. It was the last lab weekend at the Compound before Peter’s winter break, and they had been working on upgrading the suit’s heating systems. Well, Tony had been working on it.

“Alright, kid,” Tony sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Spill it.”

Peter looked up, his bottom lip between his teeth. “I’m fine, Mr. Stark.”

Tony worried that it might be related to the Current Issue, as he had been calling anything related to Ned for the past two months. But tension and worry had been radiating off Peter since he walked into the Compound today. He wanted Peter to come to him, but honestly. He couldn’t take much more of this.

“Come on, Pete. Something’s clearly on your mind.”

Peter nodded his head slightly, like he was debating on lying again.

Tony decided to try to push his luck with a different approach. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

That seemed to do the trick. Peter put the web shooter down, but he didn’t return his eye contact. “So… You know how you invited me to spend New Year’s Eve here?”

 _Oh._ Tony wasn’t expecting that at all. He had invited Peter to spend a few days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve with him and Pepper at the Compound. He had cleared it with May way beforehand, but Peter had seemed enthusiastic when he asked him.

“Do you not want to?” Tony asked, trying to hide his surprise. He hoped Peter didn’t agree just to appease him or something. He thought they were closer than that.

Peter looked up then, eyes wide. “Of course I do! That’s not what I meant, Mr. Stark.”

Tony let out a small breath, more relieved than he’d like to admit. “Then what is it?”

“Well, you know Ned, right?” Peter asked, picking at his fingernails. “His family is going to Virginia to visit his great aunt, and Ned really doesn’t want to go, you know? But his mom won’t let him stay home alone, which is weird because he’s graduating high school in a few months-”

“Peter,” Tony said, holding a hand up. “Slow down, okay?”

“Would it be okay if Ned stayed over, too?” Peter asked, his voice almost a whisper. His eyes were bright, and God — he looked so young.

None of the parenting books prepared Tony for this. It was like his entire chest swelled with how utterly adorable this situation had become, but it was bittersweet. Was Ned’s family really going to Virginia? Or did they just want to spend time together? Was this Peter’s way of trying to ease into telling him?

This would be so much easier if he knew more about their relationship. If they were actually in a relationship.

“It’s totally okay if he can’t, though,” Peter said, pulling Tony out of his thoughts. “Like it’s a lot to ask, and I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

Tony’s eyes flicked down to Peter’s lap. His hands were shaking.

_Shit._

“Hey,” Tony said, trying to push his voice across the table. “Pete, it’s okay. Ned can totally stay with us.”

“Really?” His voice cracked on the second syllable.

“Of course,” Tony replied, deciding to play along with the great aunt story. He didn’t know if it were better as the truth or a lie. “It’s the last winter break before college! It’d be a crime for him to spend it with stuffy relatives.”

“Oh my gosh,” Peter said, his whole face brightening back up. “He’s going to be so excited! He’s always wanted to come see the Compound.”

“Maybe we can work on something together while you’re both here. I know college apps are done, but it never hurts to pad that resume.”

Peter nodded, all of the tension and worry from earlier melting away. “Thanks, Tony.”

Warmth flooded Tony, and he hoped Peter wouldn’t notice his reddening cheeks. Peter rarely called him by his first name, and when he did — it reminded Tony that breaking the Stark cycle and being there for Peter was all worth it.

“Yeah, Yeah. Now get over here and help me with your suit. We can’t have you hibernating this year.”

Peter let out a huff, but the smile was still there.

As Peter stood up and walked over to where the suit was splayed open, Tony knew that there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep that smile on Peter’s face.

He also realized he would get the chance to interact with Ned for the first time since the Current Issue started. Maybe he could get some info about this relationship thing in person, without the aid of FRIDAY. And if he got to interrogate Ned when he couldn’t run away? That’s called two birds, one stone.

* * *

“Boss, Happy has arrived,” FRIDAY said.

Tony stood at the kitchen island, where he was cutting up some vegetables. Pepper was going to grab pizza on her way in, but he knew Peter would be hungry now. Maybe a few years ago Tony would have been embarrassed by how domestic making a veggie tray was, but he had been doing this gig for awhile. Peter was comfortable enough now to just raid the snack cupboard, but having Ned here might bring back old habits.

“Just send them up here,” Tony replied, adding the last of the celery to the tray. He then dumped a bag of chips into a bowl, and set it next to the veggies.

When Peter had asked if Ned could stay with them for a few days, it had taken until the night before for Tony to realize a big problem: where the fuck was Ned going to sleep?

His gut instinct was to give Ned one of the guest bedrooms on their floor — just separate them so it was a non-issue regardless of their relationship status. But then he wondered, would that look suspicious? They most likely shared Peter’s room whenever Ned stayed over, and he had to assume it was the same at Ned’s apartment. If he purposely split them up, would that tip them off that he knew?

He finally confided in Pepper and told her the whole situation. She had laughed for a good five minutes, which Tony couldn’t even blame her for. After she settled down, she agreed he should just leave it alone and hope the boys were responsible for three nights. She also promised to play along with pretending. Tony had seen the glint in her eye when she said that, knowing how much Peter’s happiness also meant to her. He was an infectious kid.

The elevator dinged, causing Tony to jump.

He saw Happy first, carrying two bags and a smirk on his face. When he turned around to head back into the elevator, he saw Peter and Ned. They were both wearing purple sweaters with big, white NYU letters across their chests.

“You decided?” Tony gasped

Peter nodded, his cheeks flushed. “I know it’s not the most challenging program I could have gone for, but yeah. It’s official.”

Tony came over to where the boys were standing and engulfed Peter in a warm embrace. He knew that Peter was leaning towards NYU to stay in the city, and Tony had always made sure to express his own encouragements with that choice. Yeah, there were better biochemistry programs that Peter could have applied for, and yeah, both he and May knew money wasn’t an issue. But Peter knew what he wanted, and his happiness was the only real factor in all this.

“I’m so proud, Pete,” he whispered, knowing that the kid could hear him. “You’re gonna do great.”

He pulled away from the hug, and then went to pat the other boy on the shoulder. “And Ned, computer science, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Ned replied, mimicking a bobblehead.

Tony wanted to correct the formalities, but his brain was already in Dad Mode. He looked Ned up and down, taking in all his features and body language. He would need to get him alone to properly interrogate him, but he could certainly probe with questions.

“Let’s grab a snack, and then we’ll take Ned on the grand ol’ tour,” Tony said, clapping his hands together. “Pepper’s bringing pizza later. Wait til she hears the good news!”

As Tony watched the boys walk towards the island, he noticed that they were so close that their elbows bumped into each other. Had they always done that? He needed more data. Good thing he had three nights with these two.

Operation “Solve Current Issue” started now. 


	4. Part Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This final part is like double the length of the other ones :)

“I think they had a good time last night,” Pepper said, walking into the living room. She was wearing one of Tony’s old Black Sabbath shirts and sweatpants. Her hands were wrapped around a coffee cup, steam rolling out.

Tony patted the recliner next to his own, beckoning her to sit down. Yeah, they had a pair of recliners, like an old married couple. Peter had made fun of them, but Tony knew the domesticity of it all made Pepper happy.

He watched her sit down as he took a sip of his own coffee. He was already on his third cup, but that wasn’t so unusual given what time he had woken up.

“What time did you get up?” Pepper asked, like she could read his mind. “I didn’t hear you get out of bed.”

“Oh, about two hours ago,” Tony replied. “Didn’t want the boys to be alone and bored.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Really, Tony? You don’t think they could have entertained themselves?”

“Not in my Compound,” Tony said quickly.

Pepper laughed, covering her mouth with one hand. “I meant with like video games or a movie! Geez, you’re the one who went right to sex.”

“Shhh, don’t encourage them.”

Pepper just laughed again.

Instead of entertaining the conversation further, Tony turned his attention to the corner of the living room. He and Pepper hadn’t really decorated for Christmas, save an artificial tree and some stockings on the fireplace. They should take it down soon, but it made the Compound feel a little more homey.

Vision had run off with Wanda a few months ago, and the Rogues were still hiding out in Wakanda. He hadn’t talked to them in almost two years.

Tony coughed, trying to clear his suddenly clogged throat.

“Good morning, boys,” Pepper said brightly, pulling Tony out of his dark thoughts.

Tony looked over to the hallway. Peter and Ned were making their way to the couch, both still wearing their NYU sweatshirts. Peter’s hair was an absolute mess, sticking up in every direction. He always looked like an angry puppy in the morning, and it was highly amusing to Tony.

Ned looked more awake, like he was nervous about his surroundings. Like he didn’t know how to be comfortable around Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in such a relaxed setting.

“Coffee?” Peter muttered out, tapping his hand against Ned’s shoulder.

“No thanks,” Ned responded, sitting down on the couch.

Peter hummed and turned back towards the kitchen.

“Glad you got the pajamas memo,” Tony said, trying to push through the awkwardness. “New Year’s Eve means comfy clothes and breakfast for dinner.”

“When did this tradition start?” Ned asked, his fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.

“Two years ago,” Pepper said quietly. “No galas or events during the winter holidays.”

Ned realized what that answer meant, and his face turned a bright shade of red.

Tony went to say something else, but Peter came back with a large cup in his hand. He sank down into the couch, slightly leaning on the other boy.

Tony immediately took notice of their closeness — it was a little more comfortable than yesterday. Peter was clingy when he was tired, so that was probably why he didn’t care. Tony needed more data with just the two of them, without Pepper or sleep as variables.

“Did you two sleep okay?” Pepper asked, thankfully taking the reins of this conversation. “Have enough blankets?”

“It was wonderful, Pepper,” Ned said, as Peter nodded his head against Ned’s shoulder.

“Oh!” Tony said, standing up. “I forgot about presents.”

“But Mr. Stark,” Peter said, “I already opened your gift. On Christmas, remember?”

Tony nodded, grabbing two stockings from the mantle. “You’re right. But I have some for Ned here, and it would be silly for him to open them by himself.”

Peter took both socks from Tony, sitting up on the couch. The two boys shared a confused glance before looking back at the man standing in front of them.

“Mr. Stark, you didn’t have to get me anything-” Ned started to say, but Tony cut him off.

“Nonsense,” Tony replied, waving his hands and walking back to his recliner. “You’re a guest here during the holidays, so you get a present. Now open it.”

The boys each pulled out a purple mug with white NYU letters on them. Inside the mugs were gift cards to coffee shops and their favorite online gaming store.

“Oh, wow!” Ned exclaimed, rotating the mug to look at it. “Thank you so much!”

Peter set his mug down to look at the older man. “But we just told you yesterday. How did you get this so fast?”

Pepper’s laugh echoed through the living room as Tony’s face tinted pink.

“I may have been prepared with your top three choices,” Tony said. “If you want an MIT hoodie, I can go get it.”

* * *

They spent the afternoon cooped up in Tony’s lab. They had been working on a small robot, the ‘resume builder’ Tony had mentioned earlier. Tony and Peter worked on attaching the arm while Ned finished with the coding. The robot was meant to grab bottles and cans and dispose them in a recycling bin. And, it had solar panels on the top for charging.

Watching the two boys work together was an absolute treat, and it reminded Tony of his and Pepper’s own dynamic. Touches lasted longer than necessary, and they always had to be close.

“Nice work, kids,” Tony said, setting the soldering iron down. “Efficient and sustainable. Congrats on basically making a version of Wall-E.”

“This was awesome,” Peter said, taking off the protective glasses and jumping up from the floor. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom real quick.”

“Grab a granola bar on your way back!” Tony called as Peter walked away. “Dinner’s not for an hour or so.”

He then turned to Ned, trying to not mimic the infamous Grinch smile. This couldn’t be more perfect timing, and he silently thanked Peter’s small bladder. He sucked in a breath, and assumed the classic Tony Stark persona.

He decided his tactic would be direct and encouraging. Not scary, but asserting his feelings about the Current Issue.

“So, Ned?” Tony opened, getting the boy’s attention. “You gotta be excited about next year.”

The boy nodded his head, turning away from the computer he was working on. “Oh yeah, like super excited. I can’t wait to take some of the courses and see what I can do.”

This made Tony smirk. It was like the kid was playing right into his hands.

“I know you can’t really put ‘hacked the Spider-Man suit’ on your resume, but we could fluff something up,” Tony suggested, looking directly in Ned’s eyes.

“Oh, Mr. Stark,” Ned replied, his own eyes wide. “You don’t have to do anything like-”

“No, really,” Tony said, cutting him off with a simple hand wave. “Talent like that deserves to be recognized. Just don’t make a habit of it.”

At that, Ned looked down and blushed.

“But,” Tony continued, “I’m not mad that you looked out for him during the whole Vulture thing. In fact, I’m pretty thankful to have someone else looking out for him.”

Ned nodded again, but didn’t move to say anything — like he knew Tony wasn’t done with his little speech.

“You’ll keep doing that, right?” Tony said, leaning forward slightly. “When you both go off to college?”

“Of course,” Ned breathed out. The blush was still on his cheeks.

“Good,” Tony replied. “I love that reckless kid, and he deserves the world.”

“He is reckless,” Ned agreed — and then more quietly, almost to himself, “and he does deserve the world.”

Hook, line, and _sinker_.

Peter walked back into the lab at that moment, cutting off the shovel talk. But Tony was satisfied with how Ned had responded, so now the ball was in their court.

“Hey, so I’m actually getting hungry now,” Tony announced, cutting any tension out of the room. “Why don’t you boys wash up, and Pepper and I will get started on dinner.”

The two boys agreed and scurried out of the lab. Tony watched them go, a warm feeling spreading through his chest. He made his own way out of the lab and headed to the kitchen on his personal floor.

Pepper was sitting at the kitchen island, typing away at the laptop in front of her. There was a glass of white wine next to her on the counter.

“Hey there,” Tony said, coming up behind her. “Please tell me you aren’t working.”

Pepper leaned against him, letting him rest his chin on her shoulder. “If you call apartment hunting work, then yes, I am.”

“For Peter’s graduation present?” Tony asked.

Pepper hummed in agreement and shut the laptop lid. “How did your shovel talk go? You weren’t too mean, right?”

“Hey,” Tony said, stepping away. “I know for a fact you would have been worse.”

Pepper reached for her wine glass, a smile on her lips. “You’re absolutely right.”

They got to work making a huge breakfast feast: scrambled eggs, sausage, French toast, and a fruit salad. It always amazed Tony how well he and Pepper worked together in the kitchen. It was like dancing, knowing where the other person was and balancing out the work perfectly without a word.  

As Tony began cutting up the pineapple, he looked around the kitchen. “FRIDAY, let the boys know that dinner’s almost ready.”

She didn’t respond, but he knew she was on it.

Pepper started getting out the plates and silverware, and set them on the island next to the sizzling food. Tony added the pineapple to the bowl of grapes. When he was finished with his strawberries, and everything else was done, he realized that the boys hadn’t come into the kitchen yet.

“FRIDAY, did you tell the hooligans it was time to eat?”

“Yes, Boss.” She almost sounded annoyed that Tony questioned her.

“Well where are they?”

“Peter and Ned are currently in Peter’s bed. Would you like me to play the audio?”

“NO!” Tony yelled out, throwing his hands up. “No, there’s no need to do that.”

Pepper laughed, but there was an edge to it. “Please say they aren’t doing anything too scandalous.”

“Oh, no,” FRIDAY replied. “They seem to be just-”

“Just tell them to come get food,” Tony said cutting her off. He really didn’t want to know what they were _just_ doing.

A few minutes later, Peter and Ned emerged around the corner. Peter’s hair was a little disheveled, and his NYU sweatshirt was suddenly baggy on his frame. _Oh._ Not his sweatshirt then. Both of them had pink cheeks.

“Hey boys,” Pepper said, her voice sweet. “Let’s eat up!”

They all piled their plates in silence, dancing around the elephant in the Compound. When they sat down at the table, Tony noticed that Peter and Ned were sitting closer than traditionally necessary.

Pepper tried to make small talk and carry on the conversation, but there was definitely tension hanging in the air.

Ned kept giving Peter side glances, and Peter kept taking deep breaths. He went to say something, but he stopped himself and put his fork down.

“Peter, it’s okay,” Ned whispered. “We don’t have to do this.”

“No,” Peter said, shaking his head. “I want to.”

Ned reached over and grabbed Peter’s hand. Peter gripped back, the muscles in his arm clenching.

Tony and Pepper sharked a look, and Tony wondered if this was it. He wanted the Current Issue to be solved, but he truly hoped Peter wasn’t coming out just because they had been caught being teenagers.

“Mr. Stark,” Peter started, his eyes on his plate. “I have to tell you something.”

“For the love of God, Pete, please call me Tony.” He was surprised with how raw his voice sounded.

“Tony,” Peter said. “And Pepper. Uh — I just wanted to, you know…”

“Peter, I love you no matter what comes out of your mouth,” Tony said, desperately wanting Peter to look at him. “It’s okay.”

Peter did look up then, his eyes shining. He looked terrified, like his life was about to shatter all around him. Ned rubbed circles into Peter’s hand with his thumb.

“I know,” Peter said softly. “I don’t know why this is so hard.”

They all sat in silence for a moment. Then, Peter took a shaky breath.

“It’s all very new,” Peter said. “But I wanted you to know… that Ned and I are dating. And that I’m… I’m bisexual.”

Tony shot out of his chair and went around to the other side of the table. Peter seemed startled, but accepted the tight embrace that Tony wrapped him in. It was awkward with Peter sitting, his hand still connected to Ned, but it was pure emotion.

“I’m so proud of you, Peter,” Tony breathed out into the boy’s hair. “Thank you for telling me.”

Tony could feel Peter nod his head. He pulled back to look at Peter’s face and wiped the tears away with his shirt sleeve.

“That was incredibly brave of you, honey,” Pepper said. “For both of you.”

Tony looked over at Ned, who also had tears in his eyes. He reached his arms out, and Ned accepted a quick hug.

Later, after the highly emotional coming out dinner, the four of them were gathered in the living room. A countdown was glittering on the TV screen, and hot chocolate warmed their bellies. Ned and Pepper were wrapped up in a conversation about academic decathlon on the couch, and Peter and Tony were standing by the Christmas tree.

“Does May know?” Tony asked quietly, taking a sip of hot chocolate.

“We told her right before we left to come here,” Peter answered. “She knew we were thinking about telling you this weekend.”

“Oh?” So they had been planning on coming out before kissing and telling?

“Yeah,” Peter smiled. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but I really wanted Ned with me.”

“I understand, Pete,” Tony said. “Your happiness and comfort level are what matters here.”

They sipped in silence for a moment before Peter spoke up again.

“Do you want us to sleep in different rooms now?”

“Uh…” Tony stammered, “Let’s pretend you don’t tell me until you’re about to leave, and we’ll just let May decide that, okay? That way I don’t have to think about it.”

Peter flushed red, but nodded his head.

“And don’t even _think_ about it, mister,” Tony said, pointing a finger at the boy. “I will haunt your nightmares.”

“Hey, it’s almost time!” Pepper called out, ending the embarrassing conversation.

Peter joined Ned on the couch, wrapped in one of Ned’s arms. Tony reached out his hands, pulling Pepper to her feet.

Warmth and love radiated all around them. Tony understood in that moment that he would do anything to protect his little family. He had a little family.

They counted down the seconds together, and shouted “Happy New Year!” when the counter hit zero.

Fireworks started going off in the middle of the lake next to the Compound — because of course Tony Stark would light off fireworks. The bright lights illuminated their faces, and Ned turned to look at Peter in their embrace. They quickly shared a kiss, wrapped up in the promise of a new year and new beginnings.

“FRIDAY, are you getting this?” Tony whispered.

“Absolutely, Boss.”

“Good. From now on when they do something cute, record it. We’ll call it the Wedding Montage Protocol.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! I do plan on writing a little sequel (which I hinted at if anyone can guess) because we always need more Interwebs fics in our lives :)


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